By Gina M. Russo, Locust Projects

The 2013 Locust Arts Builders will develop their collaborative exhibition in Locust Projects’ main gallery over the course of three weeks, under the instruction of Monica Lopez de Victoria of the TM Sisters and Loriel Beltran, a Miami-based artist. The program expanded to 25 students this year, thanks to funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Be sure to visit the opening reception for this important program on Saturday, July 13 from 7-10pm! The exhibition will be on view through August 20, 2013.

Participating Artists: Macki Alvarez-Mena, Cindy Becerra, Lisette Carballo, Ellana Cohen, D’anyerlo Duque, Mathew Figueroa, Juan J Garcia, Ilan Gihuly, Catalina Ruiz Luzio, Bernadata Majauskaite, Dillon McDermott, Jon Millan, Daniela Perez, Lisette del Pino, Summer Pizura, Karen Ramirez, Armand Reyes, Antonio Robbins, Ethan Romano, Gisselle Ruiz, Magdiel Santana, Melodie Suarez, Maile Torres, Juan “Tanooki” Vinasco, Maya Yosub.

The students, currently attending American Senior High, Design and Architecture Senior High, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Coral Reef Senior High, Dr. Michael M. Krop High, Hialeah High School, Miami Beach Senior High, Miami Lakes, New World School of the Arts and Terra Environmental High School were selected from an open call to South Florida high schools.

As a hallmark that makes Locust Projects stand out from other art venues, the organization embraces cutting-edge exhibitions and innovation in art. In furtherance of the not-for-profit’s fifteen-year commitment to providing an approachable arts venue for the South Florida community, for the fourth year, Locust Projects presents this exciting new program in which a young generation of artists are given the opportunity to create a collaborative exhibition in a public venue. The goal is to promote contemporary art and project-based learning as a means to encourage creativity, critical analysis, and problem solving, while building communication skills. This unique initiative will allow young artists to learn the practical and exciting aspects of creating a public exhibition in collaboration with their peers.

The LAB (Locust Arts Builders) is made possible with major support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.